The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-05
SENATOR EvARTs' MEAT BILLS.
What Pierre Lorillard and James Cor
don Bennett Pay to Their Butchers.

What Pierre Lorillard and James Cor
don Bennett Pay to Their Butchers.
New York, Sept 81 met a fat, jolly
looking Irishman in the Office of a friend of
mine the other day, who impressed me
strongly by his heartiness. After he had
gone out | asked my friend who he was.
"You will probably be surprised, re-
turned my friend, but that man is well
known to some of the most prominent men
| in New York and has had very intimate
dealings with them. Among these may be
mentioned Pierre Lorillard, James Gordon
Bennett Senator Evarts, and / don't know
how many others: enough, anyhow, to put
| him on speaking terms with three-quarters
! of the men whose names are familiar TO
/ everybody"
! Something in the tone of his voice and in
! the rather amused smile that accompanied
it made me push my inquiries further The
man who was supposed to know everybody
worth knowing had not the distinguished
air usually worn by such personages.
! was not, therefore so much surprised as
woNld otherwise have been, when learned
that he was Kelly, the butcher. The rest
| OF his name was said to be immaterial, but
not to know Kelly, the butcher, was, | was
assured, TO argue ones self unknown. For
years he aud his father before him kept a
butcher shop at University place and Thir-
tenth street Here were cut the juicy
chops and the tender steaks, and from here
we're sent the delicate fowl and game that
ha-Q tictled the palates and pleased and
satisfied the stomachs of generation of the
wealthy and prominent of New York's citi-
+ zens. Catering to the stomachs of these
patricians Kelly learned certain interesting
characteristics of each, and some Of these
he impaired to my friend, also his patron,
who in turn related them to me.
Senator EvaIts. according to his meat
man, is very particular as to the flesh he
eats Although his face looks like a piece
of parchment, and has no more color i'll il,
vet he INDUCES in rare steaks and roast
beef, meats that contain the most blood. He
is very particular about them also. His
cook selects the meat ten days in advance of
the time it is wanted for the table, and has
it cut off III his presence. Then Kelly puts
it into his ice box, where it remains until it
is sent to the Senator
The Senator has the proper idea in this,
and Vt would be well If other persons fol-
lowed his example.
The old Beefstake Club. which has its
rooms ON East Broadway and the members
Of which are well-known politicians and
professional men, did the same thing for
years. For two weeks previous to their
dinner large, juicy steaks were hung up in
| they were finally brought on to the table
they were as tender as butter and of greatly
improved flavor After hanging that way
| the surface of the meat becomes black, but
the inside does not change color. The sur
face has to be cut off before it is used.
Kelly understands the Senator's wants so
| thoroughly that when the latter goes to
Washington to attend the sessions of Con-
gress he sends disorders for meat to Kelly,
and he forwards it to him packed in ice
Pierre Lorillard is one of Rely's best
patrons and one who has stuck to him since
he moved up town. His bill for meat alone
when he is at his town residence sometimes
reaches S700 month and averages $500. 1t
would be impossible for any family to
spend that amount for meat even with a
house full of guests, but Lorillard, like Ben
nett, is high liver, and aims to secure deli
cacies for his guests that make visit at his
house much coveted privilege.
His orders are such, sometimes, that it
makes it necessary to spoil large quantities
of meat or fowl to get at the particular part
he desires. Thus, for instance, when he
orders ten pounds of chicken breast, a great
many chickens would have to be cut up to
supply that amount. He would, of course,
| be charged Just as much as though he had
ordered that number of chickens. 1t is very
profitable for the butcher, undoubtedly, in
/ asmuch as he can sell those parts of the
| chicken that have not been used and in that
way get double pay tor the same article.
When it comes to orders of a like nature
in regard to the more expensive game as
canvasback ducks, grouse and so forth, the
orders amount to large sums. Loriilard is
is hard customer to suit, though, for while
he does not grumble at the bills he wants
what he orders ON the moment and will not
| take any excuse.
Bennett is probably the most extravagant
of all. He has not been in New York for
some years now but there is no reason to
believe that he has grown any more econom-
ical since he went abroad, even though his
| newspaper has lost so much in circulation
His household was run on the most extrava-
CANT scale in every respect. He paid man
in one of the oyster saloons to remain up all
night in readiness to prepare oysters for him
at any time he might desire them. His
orders TO his butcher exceeded in extrava-
gance those of all the other nabobs, and
81 900 a month went into the Golfers OF
| Kelly, the butcher, from this source alone
His servants lived on the fat of the land
for his orders for supplies were on such a
grand scale that a large portion of the food
brought into the house had to be thrown
away daily. While his father, the man
who made the fortune his son attempted to
but could not dissipate lived the servants
were held in some sort of check but even
then they had pleasant time of it. Every
morning this order came down for the old
mans breakfast: toast and tea. These slices
of toast, stamped in artistic shapes, and q
pot of tea would be sent up to him, while
the servants below dined on porterhouse
steaks, lamb chops, broiled chicken and
other choice viands.
Many of Kellys patrons have gone abroad
in these later years and some are dead, but
he is full of stories about them, and car
laugh as heartily as any one at the eccen
tricities and follies characteristic of tn,
aristocratic money princes with whom hi,
business made him acquainted.
CHARLES j. RosEBAULT.